Hitchhiking in Uzbekistan, Karakalpaks and a night at the border

During my university years I went to Uzbekistan. First Tashkent, then Samarkand, then Bukhara.

Hitchhiking from Samarkand to Bukhara

We hitchhiked from Samarkand to Bukhara with friends. Actually we were trying to stop a taxi. A car stopped and we lied to the driver, we said our money had been stolen. They took us right away.

It turned out the guys were Karakalpaks. They had come from Karakalpakstan to Samarkand to fight with some Uzbeks, and they picked us up on their way home. On the road they told us that Uzbeks had been bothering their friends or brothers at university. They didn't take any money from us and drove us all the way to Bukhara.

In Bukhara my friend Sancar and I stayed together.

A night at the Kazakh border

On the way back, when we tried to cross into Kazakhstan, the Kazakh police wouldn't let us in. They asked for our visas and we showed them. We had student visas, but we needed one more document, it was called something like a school notification and had to come from the university. It was the middle of the night.

At that moment I was squatting on the ground in the cold, freezing, and looking at my family's WhatsApp group. It was my niece's birthday, and everyone was sending birthday photos and celebrating. The group was really busy, because back then there was a 3 hour time difference between us and Türkiye. When it was 9 in the evening in Türkiye, it was midnight for us. They were celebrating a birthday, and we were out in the cold haggling with Kazakh police about a bribe to get in.

In the end the officer asked us for that document. We called a friend to make a fake one, and tried to reach other people who had gotten the document before. Then the officer said that even if we found it, he would need to call the number on it to confirm. It's 2 at night, the school is closed, you can't cross, he said. At the same time he made it clear he wanted money. We didn't pay, and we didn't get through either. And of course it was freezing cold.

A hostel room for 60 people

We went back into Uzbekistan, back to the city center, to a hostel. It was the most interesting hostel room I've ever seen. A huge room with wooden bunk beds, a place for at least 60 people.

In the morning the student office sent us the document. We went to the border and crossed into Kazakhstan. After that I never went back to Uzbekistan.

Why I got bored

Honestly, even though I studied history and it's a very historic country, I got bored in Uzbekistan. I think it's because it looked a lot like Turkistan.

What you need to know before going to Uzbekistan

Visa and registration

• Turkish citizens can go to Uzbekistan visa free with a passport and stay up to 30 days. Check the rules for your own passport. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months.
• After entering the country you have to register within 3 days, locals call it registratsiya. Hotels and hostels do this for you and give you a small slip of paper.
• Every time you change city or address you need a new registration. Keep the slips until you leave the country, they may ask for them.
• Rules can change, check with the consulate before you go.

Crossing the border

Don't go through what I went through. If you study or live in Kazakhstan and you're coming back from Uzbekistan, have every document you need to enter Kazakhstan again with you. Find out which documents you need from your school or the migration office before you go. If you get to the border at night and something is missing, you can't reach anyone.

Money

• The currency of Uzbekistan is the som. Dollars are the easiest to exchange, bring clean bills that aren't worn.
• Exchange money at banks and official exchange points. Stay away from people offering to exchange on the street. The rate at the airport is bad.
• You can withdraw som from bank ATMs. When paying by card or withdrawing, if it asks whether to charge in your home currency or som, choose som.
• In the cities hotels and good restaurants take cards. At markets, in shared taxis and at most guesthouses you need cash, keep small bills on you.
• Prices are sometimes quoted in dollars, but you pay in som.
• Tips aren't expected, rounding up the bill is enough.

Getting around

• There's the Afrosiyob high speed train between Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara. Tickets go on sale about 45 days in advance and sell out very fast in busy periods. The official sales site is eticket.railway.uz.
• There's a name check when you board. Carry the passport you bought the ticket with and be at the station at least 30 minutes early.
• There's also the slower Sharq train for about half the price.
• In the cities people use Yandex Go for taxis. It sometimes asks for a local phone number, so sort out your SIM first.
• For maps Yandex Maps works better.
• You can enter the Tashkent metro with a bank card. The stations are worth seeing.

SIM card

The operators are Beeline, Ucell, Uzmobile and Mobiuz. You buy a SIM with your passport.

Places to see

• Tashkent. Chorsu Bazaar, the Hazrati Imam Complex and the metro stations.
• Samarkand. Registan Square, Shah i Zinda, Gur e Amir, the tomb of Timur, and the Ulugh Beg Observatory. See the Registan early in the morning or in the evening when the lights come on.
• Bukhara. You can explore the old city on foot. The Kalyan Minaret and the Poi Kalyan Complex, the Ark Fortress and Lyabi Hauz.